Saturday, March 1, 2008

When I saw these on Isa's blog, I knew I had to make them. Sure, they looked great for pizza and gumbo and the like, but would they stand up to the bun test? Would they be good on their own, slightly grilled, and served with ketchup and mustard? The answer is yes! Yes! A thousand times yes! These are easy to make and taste way better than anything I can get at the store (Yves). The texture is freakishly sausage-like, and I was able to grill them on the BBQ after the steaming. This makes me think there is nothing these sausages can't do. I went crazy with the spicing: fennel, rosemary, sage, thyme, basil, oregano, parsley (and no red pepper flakes). Feel free to throw in whatever you want. Here is the recipe from Isa's blog. I made 6 sausages instead of 4.

METHOD1. Before mixing your ingredients, get your steaming apparatus ready, bring water to a full boil. The rest of the recipe comes together very quickly.2. Have ready 6 sheets of tin foil. In a large bowl, mash the pinto beans until no whole ones are left. Throw all the other ingredients together in the order listed and mix with a fork. Divide dough into 6 even parts. Place one part of dough into tin foil and mold into about a 5 inch log. Wrap dough in tin foil, like a tootsie roll. Don’t worry too much about shaping it, it will snap into shape while it’s steaming because this recipe is awesome.3. Place wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes.

And now for dessert. I could not resist these blueberries and raspberries on sale at the grocery store today. They are from Chile, so, yikes, but they really helped to beat the winter blues (which we all have a really bad case of). I suppose I'll regret this some day when I am dying from some cancerous growth. Anyway, Vegan Mom made the sweet scones, sliced them in half, laded them with berries, and served with soymilk poured over top.

I think the possibilities for these sausages are endless. They actually don't sell pinto beans here (for some odd reason), so I used white kidney beans. As long as you finely mash them, I think any kind of bean would work. Plus, you could play with the spicing: black beans, chipotles, cumin.

I just use the steamer basket that came with my set of pots and pans (i.e. that perforated insert that goes over the pot and under the lid). I just get a few inches of water boiling underneath, put the sausages in the baskey, cover, and steam away! I also use my bamboo steamer and wok if I have lots of steaming to do.

I've tried this recipe, and it is awesome. The flavor and smell had me raving the whole night to my fiance. The only thing is that we don't have a pot steamer, just a vegetable steamer. I managed to roll and fit four sausages in that little thing, but with a little overlap. Two of the sausages were definitely chewy, however pan grilling them toughens it up if the slices are thin enough.

When I was at the local market, I couldn't remember how much wheat gluten I needed, so I guessed, but was short about 1/4 cup. Could that be why they were chewy? Or is the steamer. The sausages from the bottom of the steamer seem firmer, but I won't know for sure until tonight exactly how they turned out.

Daniel,My experience with the sausages is that they need to be rotated if stacked, and that you can't cook them too hot. The fist time I made them I had the water at a pretty good rolling boil and they cooked too hot too fast and came out like hard rubber. Steam is pretty hot stuff, so no need to blast them. Also, if they don't cook enough they will be too chewy. Practice makes perfect, I say.

I just made these for the first time tonight, and I used my rice cooker to steam them. It worked great! I also didn't have fennel so I left that out this time but I added celery seed instead. They were fantastic. Better than Tofurkey Italian Sausage and a lot cheaper. Isa is my new heroine. --Regina

I just made these today and they were fantastic. I followed the recipe pretty closely but used Penzeys Krakow Nights seasoning (formerly known as Polish Sausage Seasoning) for my spices. They came out fantastic. I can't wait to experiment with this recipe!

"Borlotti beans originated in North America where they are known by several names.[4] The bean is a medium large tan bean, splashed with red/black to magenta streaks. It is very popular in Italian and Portuguese cuisine.

The American cranberry bean or horticultural bean is quite similar if not the same as the Italian borlotti bean.[5] Pinto beans are not considered the same as borlotti beans."

Awesome! Just made this today and we had them on hot dog buns with mustard and sauerkraut. They were delicious. I've been buying Tofurkey dogs and it's just ridiculous. $4 per package of $4 and I could probably make 40 of them this way for $4.

I made these today and they are delicious. My family is not vegan but I have been slowly introducing vegan recipes into our diet and this one was a success. (Not all recipes are!) These sausages are very delicious and have great texture.

I too have made these sausages and they rock. I like Julie Hasson's variation too, it goes well with roasted peppers in a bun. I just developed my own variation of them--a turkey stuffing sausage with mushrooms and apples which turned out pretty good.

Unbelievable, I do not ever have to buy commercial vegan sausage again. Have seen the recipe at Isa's place, Julie's place, and now your place, and finally made it. The most unbelievable thing is that it is SO EASY. Once you get the ingredients mixed, formed, and wrapped in foil (which does not take long at all) it's a cakewalk letting them steam. I added spices per your suggestions- must have sage! Vegans unite, 'cause vegan sausage rules!

I made these for lunch today. Oh man were they great! I am super psyched b/c I didn't want to spend a fortune on the commercial brand vegan sausages since I'm iffy about fake meats. Thanks for posting! I am looking forward to trying lots of flavor combinations.

What a wonderful spot you've created here.As an overseas Belgian fan, I've been wanting to make this recipe. However ,vital wheat gluten is unavailable here.(I've been trying to make my own vital wheat gluten out of (rather) high gluten flour, but that turned into a big mess. Then I tried to make the sausages with the baker-purchased "rather high in gluten"flour, but they're kind of, well, flour-y.

In any case, my sausages clearly need more protein. Do you think ground-very small TVP + some high gluten flour could be a substitute?

To Cecilie, I live in Sweden, and I can get vital wheat gluten here. But for you, it might be easier to get it shipped from Germany. Check out http://vegan-wonderland.de/catalog/index.php. They ship to Sweden, so belgium shouldnt be a problem. Good luck!

To VeganDad, Thank you! Ive been making sausages for years now, but thought they got a bit too bouncy or rubbery. I used to bake mine in the oven. Now I know that steaming is the trick! Awsome!

Here is a tip for those of you who dont like using tin foil: baking paper or oven paper works just as good for wrapping the sausages, specially if you steam.

Vegandad - I made these last night and they were easier to put together than I expected. This was my first foray into making a meat alternative and it was WAY better than anything I've gotten from the grocery store. FYI - I used the full amount of red pepper and they are pretty spicy! I also cut some up for lunch today with some roasted pepper strips and broiled it all for a few minutes - YUMMY!

I saw these a couple weeks ago and finally made them last night for a Halloween cookout today, and they were FABULOUS! Thank you so much! I couldn't resist eating one immediately, and even my hubby (who is very resistant to my new vegan cooking) thought it was amazing! Thanks!

Hi VeganDad,I was bookmarking this recipe when I came across a comment you made about some blueberries and raspberries you bought in the grocery store that came from Chile, and how you'll probably regret buying them when you're "dying from some cancerous growth".

Could you explain what you meant by that? :P I have to admit that after reading it several times I still wasn't able to tell what you were trying to say, so if you could clear that up for me, for curiosity's sake, it would be great.

Chris from Spain,That was just a glib comment about a)the pesticides used to grow the berries; and b) the preservatives used so that berries fro thousands of kms away can still look fresh in my grocery. Plus, dying of cancer from these things would be karma's way of punishing me for making such ecologically unsound food choices.

Been following your blog for months now (and I have to say, it's started a love of cooking that I never, ever had before - thanks!)

But had a theoretical question re: seitan making in general, since I haven't perfected the process yet (and it looks like you have...!) What's the main secret to making non-bready--ie compact--moist, meat-like seitan? Is it mostly the steaming process? And in your opinion, which additions to the vital wheat gluten help the most? Oil doesn't seem to do it. Maybe tofu (as in the vegan dad lunch meat) or something similar and heavy? Doing my damndest to make something akin to the best store bought seitan, like Tofurky and the Chinese store stuff. Would love to get more input from you (the master...!) Thanks, --Janet

My first batch turned out a big too gluten-y texture wise, so I cut the vital wheat gluten down to 1 cup and added 1/4 cup whole wheat flour. Oh, should mention I'm using white navy beans, not-from-can. The result was a more cohesive interior texture, and a tad less rubbery. Going to explore this angle more, maybe cut the gluten down to 7/8 cup and play with different flours with the other 3/8 cup.

What, if any, other vegetables have you tried adding in, and with what successes? Artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and onions, all finely diced, sound like potential candidates for awesome flavor.

Also, do you have a good recipe for cole slaw? A scoop over one of these on a whole wheat bun sounds delicious.

Another of your recipes that contains 'vital wheat gluten', which I can't seem to get hold of in the UK. Anyone out there have any ideas about that? I would so love to make these and all the other recipes containing it. I have now purchased 'The Uncheese Book' you referred to in another of your blogs, and we had awesome 'cheez-a-roni' last night. Yum!

I just made these, and they turned out fannn-TAStic! Instead of Italian seasoning, I went for bratwurst and used caraway, allspice, marjoram, and white pepper. 40 minutes of steaming over simmering water was perfect, and then I threw them on the grill for about 5 min. to crisp the outsides. AWESOME, and thank you! :)

I just just found this last week and made them tonight; I've only been vegan since Jan 1 so I've been learning a lot.

One thing, I decided to try frying one up as inspired by the Dutch Frikandel and it sent my memory buds flying; I'll admit it's not a healthly rendition, but it was still pretty dang tasty this way as well!

I have my answer; I tried it tonight on the BBQ, and it stands this way of cooking (sorry for my english; it's not my language). It was perfect. I tried it yesterday on the stove, and today on the BBQ. Both are ok. I tried a seitan recipe on the BBQ tonithg to, ant it was perfect too. So we can attend our non vegan friends BBQ parties with those; we will be OK!I just have to work on the "seasoning" (is it the right word?) so my kids love it as much as I do.

WOW.. I am from Wisconsin originally and know my sausage from when I wasn't Vegan and these are amazing! I even cut one up for the non vegans and they all said they were coming to our house for dinner from now on, which is an incredible feat! Thanks

They sound great, do you think I could just roast them over a fire?I'm going to a friends house, and they have a fire pit in the backyard, so there will probably be smores, and also putting hotdogs on sticks and roasting them on the fire, so I was wondering if you thought this might work for that? They might be a little too soft after being steamed to really be put on a stick though. What do you think?

I'm going to be going to a friends house, where there will be hotdog roasting (where you put the hotdog on a stick, and roast it over a fire) and I was wondering if you think this recipe would work for that? Or do you think they would be too soft after steaming to be put on a stick and roasted?

Jamie,If you steam the sausage first, you can reheat it on a BBQ, or a fire, if need be. The trick is making sure it does not dry out. Remember that these sausages are really dough--dough that can get really hard and tough.

I made these today and they were great! A bit thicker than I had anticipated, more like a sausage than a hot dog (duh!). They were really good though, we ate them straight from the steamer for lunch. Next time I may thin them out a bit and try to get them more hot dog size. Even my 3 year old liked them. :)

I'm finally making these today and am excited to see how they turn out. Doing a couple of slight modifications to the recipe (mostly in terms of flavor as we're out of a few of the spices, but I have some fresh dill that I'd like to try out). Hopefully they go well!

We tried this recipe for the first time today. I like it way better than the store-bought kind. Thanks so much for posting the recipe! I'm wondering if it might be possible to crumble the sausages and then use them in soup recipes. Hmmmm... might try that next.

OMG! These are amazing.I made them for a BBQ with my parents, both definite meat eaters who believe a meal is not complete without a slab of meat.They had their meat, we had our vegie sausages. My sister ate two, and my mum asked if she could try a small piece just to see what it was like... then finished the rest of the sausage and asked me for the recipe.Thankyou!

... I know this is a very tardy reply to the poster who asked whether these sausages could be made without gluten- but I have just chanced on such a recipe which I imagine could be made Celiac-friendly by substituting the wholewheat breadcrumbs with a gluten-free alternative. The result looks like it stood up to both the photo and taste test...

My husband and I made these tonight and loved them! We just steamed them but look forward to grilling them in the future. He was really impressed with the "meaty" consistency. I want to try your hot wings recipe next.

Just delicious. Very firm and flavorful. Once again, Omni-Life Partner chose these over meaty sausage. I love the technique and can't wait to experiment with different flavors. These are crazy easy, and have a great texture for a fraction of the cost of anything you could buy in a store.

More like Vegan Hero! I love these and they are sooo simple to make!! Thank you.

I have now made two batches. A couple of observations: To my personal taste, these come out better if I process the beans in a food processor first, rather than using a fork and smashing them. Which leads me to believe that you can skip the beans and just go with garbanzo bean flour. The other thing is that, if I blend all of the dry ingredients together (except the gluten) and chop it all into a mix and then add it to the gluten flour and mix everything in my stand mixer, the flavor is more consistent, along with a smoother finished texture. The steamer is the way to go. I have used my vegetable steamer and it works great. Thanks again!

Thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it today, and they're pretty tasty!I'm not sure I'll ever figure out the timing, though. I steamed them for 40 minutes as high as my gas burner will go, but the one I opened was still gooey inside, which is not a good thing for seitan. So I put it in the oven for about 20 minutes, which seemed to firm it up. The others I left in the steamer until the bottom of the pot boiled dry--oops!

Also, I used poultry seasoning (sage and a few other things, all spices, no actual bird) instead of fennel because I'm out. What does fennel taste like, anyway?

Wow this looks and sounds fantastic. I love vegie sausages (w3e call them "snags" in Australia) but am concerned about the processing and saturated fats used in the store bought ones. This means I can have my snags and eat them too!

Mitch, no wheat flour is not wheat gluten. The last time I was in Peru, I found that Bircher Benner has a little store in their restaurant where they sold some of these things. Have you been there? Great restaurant.

I finally made these tonight. My husband doesn't usually like any fake meat products so I was nervous but hopeful - we both liked them! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. The only other meat-like recipe I've used (and liked) is a veggie burger one from Vegan Planet - if you haven't tried it here it is: http://welliwillbeamonkeysmama.blogspot.com/2009/07/veggie-burgers.html

It's similar using lentils and wheat gluten. So happy to have found your blog!

Tonight is hot dog night, and my bf and I were planning on picking up some veggie sausages at the market. I decided to make these last night as an experiment, to see if they'd fit the bill. Wow! This is the only successful recipe I've made with vital wheat gluten so far. The dough/batter seemed really wet and I was worried, but you're right - they do snap into shape in the steamer basket (they expand to fill the space in the foil). The fennel really makes it for me. The only thing I'd do differently next time is make this into 8 sausages rather than 6 - these were a little too hefty than my appetite demands (or my belly needs!). I think these are going to be GREAT sliced then and topped on vegan pizza, or sliced thick and cooked with some tomato sauce and pasta. Thank you!

Vegan Dad, your site is awesome! Thanks so much for posting all your hard work for us to enjoy! I look forward to trying lots of your recipes.

These sausages were my first since my 3 year old son is in LOVE with "hot dogs". The flavor was awesome! Though I don't think my rigged metal colander over a pot was the best form of steaming. They were still gooey. Should it be a continual rolling boil? I'll try a better form of steaming next time.

Just made these for the first time. Turned out pretty well but I have a couple questions. We are newly vegan so new to this cooking! The flavor was great but a little dry. What can I do to make them juicier? I steamed them and then removed the foil and cooked them on the grill. Also, how did you get them to char up like they are in the picture? They look so great...mine kinda looked like dog poo.

I just saw this link on a forum and wanted to try out the hot dogs. I have a question that is probably stupid, but I want to be sure.The beans you are using a canned, right? Already cooked? If I don't have this kind of canned beans at the supermarket should I cook them first?

Wow! These turned out great on my first try. I followed the recipe exactly, except I was too impatient to wait for the vegetable stock to cool so it was still warm. I used Vegan Dad's herb recommendations but kept 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper. I made 4 sausages and a dozen small "meat" balls. I made the sausages earlier in the day then fried them in a nonstick pan with a bit of canola oil. My omnivorous hubby loved them, said they were better than the Yves and Tofurkey ones we used to get. Next time I'm making a double batch!

I tried these over the weekend and they were pretty good. I think I'll add a few more spices, maybe some red pepper flakes, next time. I like a little kick to my sausage. I'm still getting used to the texture, but I'm excited to have a recipe that I can work with! Thanks! I'm going to try adding more maple syrup next time too, like you recommend in another post.

I've been looking for a recipe for vegan sausages and yours hits the jackpot! I'm going to try this recipe using Red Mills Pinto Beans. May I ask if the pinto beans to be used is 1 cup dried beans or softened ones? I love your site immediately. I can't wait to make this! Thanks!

I tried making these about a week ago, but the first batch was rather chewy. I also need to add more spices next time. I let the rest of the dough sit in the fridge for a few days, which allowed the spices to add more flavor. I then steamed it and put it in the freezer. When I thawed one out the other day to use with some spaghetti squash and tomato sauce, I actually boiled it and it was much softer texture wise!

Somebody help!I'm entertaining tomorrow for brunch, and wanted to have these sausages. I steamed for 40 minutes, but they're still gooey. Should I steam longer? Or wait for them to cool then fry them? Thanks for your advice :)

I made a double batch this time and it turnout out even better than the first time. The flavourings are just amazing, and when these are fried (in very little oil in a non-stick pan) they are crunchy and chewy and wonderful. My omnivorous hubby declared them even better than last time and ate THREE huge sausages the first night. Thanks vegandad!

These are delicious. I played with the spices some. I food processed everything together and then stirred in the gluten flour. My kids, husband, brother, and friends loved them served hot dog style with avocado slices and corn on the cob. Thank you so much for this GREAT new recipe.

I saw these a while back and was a little intimidated by the method till I visited a friend who made Isa's chorizo version. I followed Vegan Dad's posted recipe precisely and they were amazingly, astoundingly, astonishingly perfect in every way. I'll make them again and again. Thank you, VD!

I've just whipped these up for the first time, and they're in the steamer as this is being written. Used about twice the spice and doubled the oil as well; also used different, chorizo-style spices.

So, what do I know about how these may turn out? Nada. However, since someone asked upthread about alternatives to foil -- which slightly bothered me as well -- it occurred to me that one might use cornhusks, as with tamales. After all, they're steamed in exactly the same manner and have similarly textured dough.

Anyway, will report back once this first batch emerges, and perhaps try the cornhusk idea next time.

Hi, and thanks for posting the recipe. These taste as good as any meat sausages ever tasted, and I'd like to make bigger batches to save time. Have you ever tried using a sausage machine, and in that case, what kind of wrapper would you recommend?William aka TokyoVegan

I finally got up the nerve and made these today. They turned out good. The family has only been eating vegetarian since the start of Lent and this was the first faux meat recipe. I sliced and sauteed the sausages with onions and BBQ sauce and served it with rice. All but the youngest liked it, and she doesn't like anything.

Just wanted to post this homemade vital wheat gluten recipe for those without access to store bought vital wheat gluten. The only change you will need to make is to omit the cup of veggie broth for a TBS veggie broth powder, and use the whole amount of vital wheat gluten the below recipe creates...Vital Wheat Gluten Recipe2 1/2-3 Cups water7 cups whole wheat flour1 quart cold water (for soaking)3 quarts cold water (for rinsing)

-Stir 2 1/2 cups water into flour. Mix well to form a stiff dough. Make a ball.-Pour 1 quart cold water over dough and allow to stand for at least 20 minutes not more than 4 hours.-After soaking, kneed dough gently in soaking water. Starch, bran and germ will separate from the gluten, causing water to become milky.-As kneading keep the dough intact.-When water becomes thick with starch, bran and germ, pour out milky solution.-If dough has become separated, strain, keeping solid portions to kneed.-Add another quart of cold water and repeat the kneading and straining process an couple of times in the quarts of cold water until the rinsing water is completely clear. -It is important that the water is completely clear or the "meat" will be doughy rather than chewy.-When the water is clear, the dough that remains is an elastic substance, called raw gluten and is ready for your bratwursts : ) Thanks Vegan Dad for the recipe. It will make our families summer!

Well, when I wanted to make these, I didn't have access to internet, so I vaguely remembered the ingredients and made some "chorizo" style veggie sausages. My proportions weren't good for eating it just after steaming, but when I sauteed the chorizo style in some olive oil, the texture was great... so if anyone's curious, I used a little more than 1 cup of cooked beans and about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of gluten flour, and added very little water and lots of paprika, oregano, fennel etc.

I live in an area where there is only white bread flour and (too expensive for me to use) wheat bread flour. I've never heard of vital wheat gluten before. Can I just use regular white bread flour in the recipe instead or will it not work?

Absolutely life- changing - and I really mean that. My husband and I are trying our best to eliminate meat from out diet - I've come further along than he has. But with recipes like this, he's on his way. It's the form and the texture that we miss - and these sausages are just perfect. We were out of buns so we just ate them plain with homemade ketchup made from our own tomatoes. WONDERFUL!

Oh my gosh! These are AMAZING!! I made these up, planning on using them in potato soup, but I sampled a tiny bit, and thought "no way!" and called my husband to pick up some hot dog buns. These are way too good to mix with other stuff!! Spot on!

I used canned refried pinto beans in mine. Luckily I live in San Antonio, where there are pinto bean options galore, but probably any bean would do. I also used some cayenne pepper to add some spice to the mixture. Good recipe! Thanks!

Dear VeganDad, I love your blog and as though i'm not a vegan nor a vegetarian, i like to try new stuff and stay away from processed foods. So i just made some veggie meat according to your directions (to use as wieners or sandwich meat, which is pretty nasty as i see it) and i'd like to know if it can be frozen. Like little weenies and stuff, just to pull out of the freezer when making bento and such. Have you tried it? Or seitan tends to get strange after freezing? Thanks for your answer and keep up your great blog!

We made these, grilled them...oh they were fantastic! Definitely going on the "make it again soon" list. Teens in the house loved them. Our adds were: sesame seeds and applewood flavored liquid smoke before cooking. Made a double batch so we could freeze and use in other recipes as well.

I have to make these! Our favourite vegan sausages available in the UK are actually only one pound for six, when on offer, but they are the short kind that would look pathetic in a bun. I want to make some monsters with this recipe, enough to make our omni friends jealous next time I turn up to a BBQ ladened with vegan fare.

I made a double batch of these today and they were a HUGE hit. I steamed for 45 minutes and then fried in a little oil in a pan to crisp up the sides (we don't have a grill). My husband is still raving about them. Kids were thrilled. Just a note: I made exactly as the recipe described and they were fairly spicy (we are pansies). I'll probably half the red pepper flakes next time! Thanks for the recipe!

Hi! These look incredible. Sorry if this is a common question, but is there any way to make these gluten free (aka substitute out the vital wheat gluten?) Thank you so much, I'm really hoping to find a vegan "sausage" recipe I can eat!

Just tried these tonight. I didn't have any beans, so I substituted an onion. I chopped and sauteed it, then pureed in a food processor. That added some extra liquid and made the mixture too runny. I'd reduce broth by 1/8 cup if anyone wants to try adding onions to the mix.

Anyway, onions substituted for beans turned out great. I just found some vegan sausage casings. I want to figure out a few variations before I go to the trouble of filling a bunch of casings.

These are great! I freeze them for months in the foil and their just as fresh as day 1. I have also found out steaming, cooling fully, then reheating them lets the flavors and sausages themselves set. Ive swapped the fennel for cumin seeds, oregano for cilantro, and added garham masala and ginger/garlic paste for an indian flavor. Ive also used whatever beans i have on hand or open like black/kidney/white kidney/northern/ chick peas/ even mashed lentils. Very forgiving recipe not a bad batch yet